1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Trifles. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The play opens up with a short description of a bleak, untidy kitchen in an abandoned rural farmhouse. It's the year 1916 on a cold, possibly winter seasoned, day somewhere midwest near Omaha and the characters are investigating a house due to the murder of John Wright. The men, the County Attorney, local sheriff, and farmer Mr. Hale, have come to search the upper house whereas the women, Mrs. Peters and Ms. Hale, are collecting a few items for the jailed wife of the victim. During this time era,. males dominated majority all aspects of life, except for caring of the home and children.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? The intrusion is the deadly reveal of the strangled canary, which was forwarded by the discovery of the empty, but used, birdcage. In what seems as if an odd safekeeping, Minnie Wright’s bird could be used for strong evidence against her case. One interesting point is that Ms. Hale becomes both the cause of the intrusion and the eventual cover up of the bird. Yet, Ms. Hale is also the one who is in the way of the evidence being hidden in the first place. She, thus so, becomes her own competition.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Time
An era where women couldn’t vote. They had little say in the household - more instances of sexual abuse and violence from husbands since there were no laws or voice against it.
Place
Kitchen was the “place for women”
Viewers don’t see the killer nor the body. This let one focus on the true meaning to the play; on what the writer wanted you to see
A unique factor is found with the particular day of the events. It's the day after the murder. This is out of the ordinary since the women could have gotten Ms. Wright’s things a week or two after the investigation, but if so they would probably have been too late in covering up everything. If it weren't for this important factor, they would probably have never discovered the intrusion in the first place.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) The dramatic question is probably whether or not the two women should cover up her murder? It's this question that they must face in the end, which boils down to a split second decision.
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale. a. Me Against Myself: (Also mentioned on in Question 2) Arguably the most dynamic character, Ms. Hale is almost like the representation of the typical reader: She is stuck between her morals and ethics. Ms. Hale is the one who hides possibility the most important evidence, yet she also is the one who questions Mrs. Peter’s motives the most. b. Me Against Another Individual: Mrs. Peters is her peer pressure. Throughout the play it’s Mrs. Peters that makes her initial decisions twisted. For example, Ms. Hale points out how they shouldn’t tamper with the knitting, yet Mrs. Peters continues anyway. c. Me Against Society: Society, although portrayed as rather dumb, can be represented in this play by the group of men. Fitting since it’s a male dominated society, the three men often walk into the kitchen and indirectly remind Ms. Hale that the law exists and what they’re doing is infringement. d. Me Against Fate: At the final moments of the play all odds are against Ms. Hale as she struggles to find a place to store the dead bird from sight.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in Trifles and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?Right at the end of the play, seconds from the sheriff and men walking back in, Ms. Hale scrambles to fully cover up any remaining evidence that could have Minnie placed in jail. The theatrics that come with this moment are the almost slow-motion like reaction as the door handle rattles and Mrs. Peters and Ms. Hale are flown into a full out panic where Ms. Hale stubbles to hide the victim.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) Trifles is defined as a thing of little value or importance. The title is an ironic play on words. The men see all the women’s items and fiddling's as trifle, yet in reality it's everything they needed to solve the crime. This gives us a clear understanding of these images and what they mean.
Broken Jars of Fruit: It was interesting how, in the beginning, the women almost dismissed the jars and only pointed out how they were broken. Yet, by the end, the women went out of their way to find one jar that was not broken so that Minnie wouldn’t be as upset. I see the jars as symbolizing both hope in a mix of despair as well as representing how the women work, yet not all of it is given much thought. Another way to see this is with the women’s yarn work. This last point is especially enhanced by the men’s dominar towards any of the women’s things. From the beginning, they show lack of care and not understanding why she is worrying about these little trifles. Even by the end, they are tricked by their blindness.
Birdcage: A forward to the intrusion, the birdcage tells us how trapped Minnie felt. The society felt like an institution wrapped around and trapping her, but now she’s found freedom in only one way: death.
The Rocking Chair: The chair is not only a placeholder for Minnie, but also an expansion into her life. It allows the other characters to more closely connect with Minnie by giving her a form. For viewers, the rocking chair reveals the rhythmic life Minnie was stuck in. Rocking back and forth, in a cycle of knitting, cooking, and caring for her husband. It’s also interesting that the chair is a rocking chair rather than just a flat footed chair. The tipping of the chair could show Ms. Write’s instability.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.
Women Suffrage: is probably the most prominent theme in Trifles. Just based on the play’s time period, it is able to highlight how restrictive this male dominated society is to women. One example includes their lack of right to vote, which is further pushed when the men are given titles such as “The Sheriff”, “The Farmer”, and “The County Attorney”. Thus suggesting that the men run all law, protection/militia, and labor. There are also strong suggestions that Minnie Wright was in an abusive relationship. However, possibly due to her position both in the household and society hierarchy, she was unable to reach out nor fight for her rights.
Moral vs. Ethical: The author sends conflicting responses over whether Minnie Wright should be charged for her crimes or see justice in another form. Whereas some see it okay for her to get away with murder since she might have been doing it to escape an abusive relationship, others see it as she should have been tried since it is not blatantly said she was abused and therefore she could just be a killer. Adding onto these, some see Wright’s actions as not being helpful in that her voice and her story were never heard. On the other hand, the incident allowed for possible greater bond between Minnie and the two women helping her. The list goes on and on, but it shows how dividing this situation is.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles? To an extent, I see this as redefining of family relations. In a sense, women are unionizing into a supportive and strong team. I can hope that, after being released from jail, Minnie Wright would be greeted and join with Mrs. Peter and Ms. Hale’s group. Therefore giving her the family she needed all along. As they piece together Minnie’s past, Mrs. Peter is also reminded of her family with her cat and husband. Another form of family brought about by the story through memories. One, more minute touch on this play in regards to family is the point that Mrs. Peters, the wife of the sheriff, doesn’t seem to be at all nervous or uptight when tampering with the evidence even though she could lose her husband, e taken to jail, and risk his job if caught. The sheriff even points this out during the end of the play, “For that matter, a sheriff’s wife is married to the law”
The play opens up with a short description of a bleak, untidy kitchen in an abandoned rural farmhouse. It's the year 1916 on a cold, possibly winter seasoned, day somewhere midwest near Omaha and the characters are investigating a house due to the murder of John Wright. The men, the County Attorney, local sheriff, and farmer Mr. Hale, have come to search the upper house whereas the women, Mrs. Peters and Ms. Hale, are collecting a few items for the jailed wife of the victim. During this time era,. males dominated majority all aspects of life, except for caring of the home and children.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is the deadly reveal of the strangled canary, which was forwarded by the discovery of the empty, but used, birdcage. In what seems as if an odd safekeeping, Minnie Wright’s bird could be used for strong evidence against her case. One interesting point is that Ms. Hale becomes both the cause of the intrusion and the eventual cover up of the bird. Yet, Ms. Hale is also the one who is in the way of the evidence being hidden in the first place. She, thus so, becomes her own competition.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
Time
- An era where women couldn’t vote. They had little say in the household - more instances of sexual abuse and violence from husbands since there were no laws or voice against it.
PlaceA unique factor is found with the particular day of the events. It's the day after the murder. This is out of the ordinary since the women could have gotten Ms. Wright’s things a week or two after the investigation, but if so they would probably have been too late in covering up everything. If it weren't for this important factor, they would probably have never discovered the intrusion in the first place.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question is probably whether or not the two women should cover up her murder? It's this question that they must face in the end, which boils down to a split second decision.
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale.
a. Me Against Myself: (Also mentioned on in Question 2) Arguably the most dynamic character, Ms. Hale is almost like the representation of the typical reader: She is stuck between her morals and ethics. Ms. Hale is the one who hides possibility the most important evidence, yet she also is the one who questions Mrs. Peter’s motives the most.
b. Me Against Another Individual: Mrs. Peters is her peer pressure. Throughout the play it’s Mrs. Peters that makes her initial decisions twisted. For example, Ms. Hale points out how they shouldn’t tamper with the knitting, yet Mrs. Peters continues anyway.
c. Me Against Society: Society, although portrayed as rather dumb, can be represented in this play by the group of men. Fitting since it’s a male dominated society, the three men often walk into the kitchen and indirectly remind Ms. Hale that the law exists and what they’re doing is infringement.
d. Me Against Fate: At the final moments of the play all odds are against Ms. Hale as she struggles to find a place to store the dead bird from sight.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in Trifles and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?Right at the end of the play, seconds from the sheriff and men walking back in, Ms. Hale scrambles to fully cover up any remaining evidence that could have Minnie placed in jail. The theatrics that come with this moment are the almost slow-motion like reaction as the door handle rattles and Mrs. Peters and Ms. Hale are flown into a full out panic where Ms. Hale stubbles to hide the victim.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Trifles is defined as a thing of little value or importance. The title is an ironic play on words. The men see all the women’s items and fiddling's as trifle, yet in reality it's everything they needed to solve the crime. This gives us a clear understanding of these images and what they mean.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles?
To an extent, I see this as redefining of family relations. In a sense, women are unionizing into a supportive and strong team. I can hope that, after being released from jail, Minnie Wright would be greeted and join with Mrs. Peter and Ms. Hale’s group. Therefore giving her the family she needed all along. As they piece together Minnie’s past, Mrs. Peter is also reminded of her family with her cat and husband. Another form of family brought about by the story through memories.
One, more minute touch on this play in regards to family is the point that Mrs. Peters, the wife of the sheriff, doesn’t seem to be at all nervous or uptight when tampering with the evidence even though she could lose her husband, e taken to jail, and risk his job if caught. The sheriff even points this out during the end of the play, “For that matter, a sheriff’s wife is married to the law”